After Dark

Twenty-three

While Clint hooks the boat back up to the truck, the teenagers follow Ren to her car. She pulls out a bunch of fluffly towels and tosses them to everybody. Liam wraps his head and shoulders up immediately, not enjoying the feeling of being cold.

Ian chuckles from next to him. Liam looks over to see the boy wrapping his own towel around his shoulders. His longer hair is sticking to his forehead and his neck, dropping in a way it doesn't usually do. Liam finds himself smiling.

"What are you grinning at?" Ian asks, his tone playful.

"Your hair looks silly." Liam comments. That makes Ian laugh and Liam laughs quietly too. "I definitely prefer it fluffy."

"Oh yeah?" Ian raises his eyebrows with a grin. "I was actually just thinking the same thing, about it looking silly. Your hair is sticking to your forehead and you look like a sick puppy."

"Really?" Liam pulls his towel over his forehead more. Ian laughs, reaching forward to grab it. Ian starts to rub Liam's head with the towel, drying it while they wait.

"That's gay." Ember says, bringing Liam and Ian's attention away from each other.

"So are you so shut up." Ian smiles sweetly, his hands rub Liam's head with the towel for a few seconds more before dropping. They instead go to his own towel and he works on drying himself off.

Liam goes to work on himself too, drying off his arms and legs. Finally, Clint walks over with his friendly smile that makes him look so much like Ian. Well, it's probably more accurate to say make Ian look like him. "You kids ready to go?"

"Yeah." Ian looks over to Lucas as he answers. The boy has the towel draped around his shoulders like he doesn't care. He went ahead and dried himself off already. Lucas nods and when Ian looks to Liam he nods too.

"Girls you better be dry or put those towels on the seats because I am not having wet seats in my car." Ren walks up behind her husband. Ember and Paige both nod.

The girls grab their clothes, not worrying about putting them on, and get in the car. Ian grabs the shirts and throws one to Lucas. He holds it but doesn't put it on. Ian puts his on and then hands Liam his. Liam debates putting it on but doesn't.

Ian tugs lightly at Liam's arm as he starts walking away. Lucas and Mr. Morrison are already walking to the truck. Liam falls in step with Ian and follows after them.

Lucas climbs in the front seat this time, grumbling something about not listening to country music on the way back. That leaves Liam and Ian to climb in the back by themselves. Liam get in the seat on the passenger side and Ian sits behind the driver's seat, although he's leaned over a little closer to the middle.

Liam shivers once the air comes on. He takes his towel off to put his shirt on, still a little cold. Ian sees this and wraps his towel around Liam's shoulders.

"Better?"

"No, your towel is damp." Liam grumbles. Having overheard this, Lucas snorts.

They start driving then. Lucas clicks on the radio and begins messing with stations. He doesn't say anything about Ian and Liam's conversation.

Ian rolls his eyes, picking up Liam's towel and draping it over the boy's head. He starts rubbing his head like he did when he was drying his hair earlier.

"That's not helping at all?" Ian's voice is quieter now.

"It is now." Liam says, also keeping his voice quiet. Ian smiles and leans back into his seat. Liam leaves the towels draped around him, fully aware that he probably looks like a baby right now. Ian's smiling though, and not in a teasing way, so he doesn't really care.